Victoria Whitt is the new CEO of Sandhills Center.

Whitt, who has been with the center 30 years, has served as interim CEO since last fall, when Michael Watson resigned to accept a position as assistant secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in Raleigh.

"We are very fortunate to have someone with Victoria's experience and expertise to assume the leadership of Sandhills Center," said Thad Ussery, chairman of the Sandhills Center Board of Directors. Ussery is a member of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.

Whitt has served as the center's deputy director and chief operating officer since 2003. She is a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg and holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

"I am honored to accept this challenge, and I am grateful for the legacy of Michael Watson's leadership that made Sandhills Center a stable and financially sound organization despite the statewide turbulence in mental health services in recent years," Whitt said.

Whitt and her husband, William, live near Rockingham.

Sandhills Center is a local management entity of DHHS in matters related to mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse in Anson, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph and Richmond counties. The administrative offices are in Seven Lakes.

When first established, the center served only five counties, but gradually, as the state made changes in administrative direction, other counties were added because Sandhills was the most stable and best managed agency in the area.

The center's mission is defined as "to develop, manage and assure the availability of community-based, publicly funded mental health services through a network of private providers." It operates a 24-hour toll-free call center through which people can get information and make appointments with providers.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.